Gifted
by easy2breakXOXO
Summary: A group of people are united at the Portton House of Night. T for minor language.


I was just sitting in church, biding my time there. Cold and distant to this realm, I just started to fall into thought, slipping away into my own world of dreams.

I was above the whole world, on top of a tall, grassy hill. The wind blew around me, toying with my long braided hair, and I was free. The sky was bright, like in the midday, the sun a beautiful golden color. Little altocumulus clouds dotted the blueness. I started to smile, feeling all the joy in this land. The birds chirped. The world sang to me, sang me the song of the old ways, before it was stifled by big business.

And then I began to float, up towards the sky, towards whatever being perched itself there in the clouds. I swam through the blueness, through misty clouds, and up into the beyond. I reached space. I could touch and feel the stars, and their warmth and their light.

The most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life looked into my eyes. There was more beauty in her one eye than in the sun and the moon. In fact, she was the sun and the moon. When I saw her, I felt ashamed, like I just haven't listened to her for my entire life or something, and I just started to cry. My knees gave way under me, and I lay prostrate to her, sobbing. She lifted up my head, and she kissed my forehead. "My child," her voice, like honey said, "I love you. You're special, very special. I don't have much time to talk to you before you've been Marked, but once you are, run."

"Marked? Run? What?"

She just smiled and faded away.

And then I felt something being seared into my forehead. Only it didn't hurt, or at least, not right then. Nah, it hurt when I fell to the church floor, woke up, realized the music and screaming had stopped and that all eyes were on me. I saw the Tracker smile and say "Angel Smith, you have been chosen to attend the House of Night!" I heard whispers of "Is it true?" and "The devil is a liar!" and other things I didn't want to hear, not then, not ever.

I did what the woman told me to do. I scrambled to my feet, grabbed my purse, and ran into the chilly fall afternoon. I took a few turns, but mainly just kept running, listening to the beating of my heart. I don't know what just happened, but I didn't want to. After a while, my limbs gave out under me, and I fell to the paved earth, scraping my knee. The contents of my purse spilled all over, and as I went to gather them, I noticed the girl in the mirror.

She was Marked.

Ohshitohshitohshit! What do I do now? I've heard that fledglings, if that's even what they're called, are supposed to be around adult vampyres all the time, or else they choke and die in a bloody mess. So, how am I going to get to the nearest House of Night? And what am I going to do? I sat up on the curb, and just cried, mascara running down my cheeks. I was shaky, cold. My body ached from exertion. I sobbed idly, on the street corner for a good five minutes before I wiped my eyes and asked myself why I was crying like a pansy on a street corner.

I gathered myself, and started to walk back where I came. Surprisingly, I knew the way back, and I don't know why. My knee stung a little, but that was okay. I didn't mind it. I looked at the ground in front of me, fallen leaves scattering themselves across the pavement.

I made it back, and everyone was outside. When I walked in front of them, they all stared and gawked at me as if I were a monster. Except for my mother. I loved her so much as she ran to me and hugged me tight. "I was worried! Where were you?"

"Down the street somewhere," I said flatly. I noticed people who once loved me giving me horrible, nasty looks. "I-I can't stay here. I just. I –"

"You filthy, disgusting monster!" A woman pulled my mother from me and slapped me in the face so hard that I fell to the ground. She grabbed me by my neck, pulling me up. "Someone ought to hang you, and in fact, I might –"

"Stop it," A woman clothed in black said. Her Mark was beautiful, sapphire, filled in. Her eyes were strong and beautiful, as she was, and her body was skinny, but healthy. Her skin was pale in contrast to her Mark. Her hair, silky and long, framed her face. "Put the girl down."

She threw me to the ground, and walked away, flustered. In the eyes of most of the people, I saw that they wanted to do the same – but in the vampyre woman's presence, I felt so much better than before. Y'know, like I wasn't going to die and squirt blood from my face and scream and drown and everything. Sounded pretty damn glamorous, maybe compared to the death I would've faced by that woman and her army.

"Who are you?" I asked her as she walked over to me.

She extended a hand to me. "I'm Calypso, the High Priestess of the Portton branch of the House of Night. Welcome, Angel. Nyx has told me great things about you."

"L-like what?" I asked, unsteadily pulling myself to my feet.

"You'll find out, in time," she answered assuredly. "Come with me," she said welcomingly, "We have much to discuss. Her parents can come too, but leave your hatred at the door. This one has already seen enough hatred for today."

I followed Calypso. When I became a vampyre (if I became a vampyre), I wondered if I would walk with all the grace she had in every step.


End file.
